Demons were odd creatures. That, alongside the fact that they were outside the realm of progression but able to interact with it made them into a species very few dared trifle with.

  As far as he knew, his knowledge of demonology was only surface-level, just enough to identify them and their specialties. With all that, the knowledge within his grip, Damien still knew for a fact that of the eight species of demons, only one was capable of creating a solid, flesh and blood vessel. And even then, it was a far cry, a nightmarish mockery of the great work of the Grand Celestials.

  The great long serpent that coiled around him did not look like the creation of a Demon. Rather than the near liquid-like pure red scales Damien had expected, it was violet, thick with an exuding aura of firmness. This was real scales.

  The snake wasn't completely covered in violet, however. Long lines of red ran down its length, painting it a mix of crimson and violet. And when it turned to regard Daimen, the sharp golden glow of its slitted eyes was enough to give him pause.

  Damien had initially assumed the creature to be one of Daskar’s mind-controlled thralls, a monster he had subsumed on his stroll within the forest. But as he looked closer, inspecting it more carefully, he took notice of the soul housed within the vessel, a free soul, not held by any spiritual chains or shackles.

  Now this was another cause for pause, as his demon companion was a Mind Demon that, as far as he knew, could not inhabit the body of his victims. Damien halted that thought when he got a better feel for the snake's soul aura, one which was instantly familiar the second he got a whiff of it.

  “Hello, human. I expect your vacation was relaxing. Now, if you do not mind, I would appreciate it if you would take control of your unappreciative kin."

  The humans gathered around them reacted instantly with various expressions of affront at the very direct insult.

  He ignored them, focusing his gaze on Daskar.

  “I believe there is something you would like to tell me.”

  The demon regarded him for a few moments, the various humans threatening it with an agonizing death seemingly forgotten, and then he nodded, bobbing his serpentine head.

  “I suppose answers are owed. However, now is neither the time nor the place.” He turned back to the freed prisoners around them with a pointed look.

  “Why do you taint your presence with this…thing?" One of the former prisoners stepped forward. “Would it not do the world a great good to get rid of it?”

  “What world?” Daimen humored, quirking an eyebrow as his lips twitched.

  “It is a demon!" Another person said, a Spirit lord cat beastkin. “An abomination who survives on the predation of people and worlds. They should be killed on sight!”

  “Is that so?” Daimen purred as he rose back to his feet, both his eyebrows raising when a few of the people in front abruptly stepped back. “You humans like to think yourselves righteous and beyond crime. innocent in all things negative. But you're just as complicit as any demon I've ever known—”

  “You have not known much of my kin,” Daskar added, to which Daimen rewarded him with a glare.

  “Bu—” The Spirit lord moved to speak, but could only pause as Daimen raised a single finger.

  “Be quiet. While I do not wish to launch into a tirade, I likewise do not intend to stand here and listen to you attempt a futile claw for victory.”

  “You dare command me?! Do you know who?—”

  “I do not know, neither do I care to.” Daimen leaned forward to make sure the man got a better look at his face. “Your life—lives, were all but gone, until Daskar here and I intervened. We dragged you all from the jaws of the Abyssal Dragon, and in doing so, returned to you the lives you had already lost. By the Laws of Karma, until your debt is paid, your lives now belong to us.”

  “You can't—”

  “Now I believe I see the reason why you were so easily captured,” Daskar interrupted. “I do not believe any of you lack the survival instincts needed to detect when you are in the presence of something beyond your ability to grasp. I believe I will take control of you all, now.”

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  Somebody scoffed. “You're a delusional one, creature. Even if you were able to take control of one of us, guarded as we are, the rest of us will tear you to pieces before you can so much as slither a single foot. You might be powerful, but you hold not a single candle against our combined might, talk less of the k—”

  “Let us test that, shall we?” Daskar interrupted with a dismissive tone. “Your mental walls are raised, and so you believe yourselves sufficiently protected against me. I shall disprove you of that thought.”

  The beastkin glared at the casual interruption and attempted to speak again, but Daskar rolled over him like he didn't exist. For his part, Daimen quietly watched, amused at the potentially embarrassing display about to play out.

  He took in the gathering of Spirit lords, each of whom represented a mix of the different mortal races. His perception washed over the group, ignoring the affronted glares sent his way, as he peered into them. A few were already at the peak of Spirit lord, while the rest sat at the Mid-tier.

  There was a third party, which he assumed Daskar had also detected. However, both of them tacitly decided to leave him be, for now.

  “You raise wooden gates and think them metal,” the Demon said just as a wave of mental pressure erupted from him, sending all the Spirit lords falling to their knees with expressions of agony drawn over their faces. “I could take your minds if I so wished—all of you. But that would not be a sufficient method to pass on the message I need delivered.”

  He slithered forward, golden slitted eyes peering at the kneeling cat woman. “Your body is filled—and functions entirely—by the whims of the cells in your body.” Daimen watched as the Spirit lords were released from whatever mental grip had been curled around their heads. They all leaped up to their feet, each backpedaling rapidly to get out of Daskar's way. All except the beastkin who had spoken. She attempted to flee, just like her little companions, but her rotten luck saw her coming to a halt barely two steps away.

  The only sign Daimen got that Daskar had done something was through the sudden look of terror on her face, which was then replaced almost instantly with a blank expression, turning the beastkin into a facsimile of a fashion construct.

  She looked entirely taken over, except there was no demon in her mind.

  “Your cells are considered living things, and all living things are granted tools for decision making—a brain, however much of a far cry from an actual brain it is.”

  A subtle chill ran down Daimen's spine. Daskar had not taken over the mind of the Spirit lord. No, he had gone further, taking an esoteric and frankly, abominable, path to subsuming the sovereignty of the body.

  This was the domain of the blood demons, and Daskar had encroached upon it.

  Daimen's eyes narrowed.

  Like a marionette on strings, she was forced up to her feet, made to do a turn around, and then the demon sent her on her way, her form disappearing into the mist. Gone.

  Silence remained even after the display had ended. The other Spirit lords were all frozen in terror, their bodies locking into stillness as they no doubt feared the demon's attention.

  Daimen watched this with a neutral expression, which masked the worry hidden deep within. He had known that the Demon Daskar had been no ordinary demon even before speaking to him. Their interactions after and the subsequent studies whispered that he was a threat to be extremely wary of.

  A wolf in sheep's clothing. Or more likely, a serpent stuffed inside the body of a little rabbit.

  “That was… excessive,” he said after a moment.

  “But needed,” Daskar responded. “I have not known you for long, Daimen, but I know you well enough to understand that you would never risk your life to rescue a bundle of no-name Spirit lords with barely any survival instinct. I have promised my aid to your goal, and I would suffer no obstacle to its completion. I could have spared the creature if I had not sensed that she would be trouble in the long term… also, I do not like cats.”

  “All that rant simply just to tell me you cared,” Daimen shook his head and turned towards the others, smirking at the look Daskar sent him. “As the demon said, I did not rescue you all for altruistic reasons. I have risked my life for you, and in return, I demand the same.

  He waited for any objection, nodding in satisfaction when no clenched fist was raised. He understood that was most likely a result of their fear of Daskar than any sudden need for cooperation.

  “Fortunately for you, the end goal of all this will benefit us all.”

  “To that end,” Daimen said as he folded his arms behind his back. “I believe it is time I had a conversation with our… friend.” he carried his attention to the back of the group, where a single ‘Spirit lord’ stood.

  Daimen would have never realized who was in their midst had he not had his soul sight and perception tuned up to the peak.

  Unlike what most people thought, avatars could not be easily detected. They blended in just as well with the other Spirit lords. Only when the consciousness behind the vessel desired to reveal its identity would it be let known.

  There were very few people who could escape Daimen's peering eyes. No Spirit lord, save for those anointed with treasures, could escape his sight. Those were unlikely to be here, and if they were, Daimen reckoned the demons would have rid them of their effects long ago.

  That left only one other option; Spirit King.

  To his senses, this Spirit King felt more powerful than a first domain. However, his powers were not that far above. A second domain, most likely.

  Confidence was his mantle, but inside, he was prepared to disappear should the demon make any sudden moves.

  This was no mind demon that was severely weakened by its transgressions. This was a full-fledged Spirit King, likely with the Astral body just a reach away.

  “I believe it is time you quit hiding, King. Your disguise is almost as see-through as a clear glass.”

  The half bull, half human, smiled, a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Funny you should say that, given you stand beside a disguised Prince of hell, Lord Damien.”